Firefly 5: Q&A with Vulcans

Monday

There’s a Pennsylvania band playing Firefly this June with a name that makes Star Trek fans do a double take.

That’s none other than the Vulcans. The trio is an indie-folk/Americana outfit in Lancaster, Pa. The trio will return to The Woodlands for their second time on June 16, after their debut in 2013.

Vulcans member John Thomas dished on a strange Dover home the guys lodged at, their connection to Trekkies and more.

What were your takeaways from the first time you played Firefly?

I think the headliners that year were Tom Petty and Red Hot Chili Peppers. We were treated in the same vein as them. We received artist passes and were really well taken care of. We were given all sort of access, transportation and whatever we needed. It was a lot of movement for such a long day. They really pack a lot of good entertainment and amenities into this whole thing. For our first night lodging, we used a website called CouchSurfing.com.

When we found out we were playing Firefly, it was about early May, because we had just won a songwriting contest for the Philadelphia Songwriters Project.

The grand prize was a slot at Firefly. We had just won that, then all of a sudden it was like, “Oh crap, we’re playing Firefly. We’ve got to get a hotel or whatever we can.” That close to the start of the festival, everything was booked up. So we used CouchSurfing.com, which is a free lodging site. We stayed at some sketchy house in Dover.

We stayed there Friday night. But the atmosphere was just not what we were looking for. The next night we found a friend who was at Firefly and they had a camping space, so we stayed with them. That was much more comfortable; and peace of mind felt a lot better.

For those who may not be fans yet, describe your music in 10 words or less.

Upbeat acoustic folk rock, with lush vocal harmonies.

How did you come up with your band name?

We were sitting on a roof years ago and we were getting ready for one of our first shows. We needed a name. We were playing a coffee house gig and instead of putting on the posters “Aaron, John and Nick play music,” we needed some sort of band name. How about “Vulcans?” My one bandmate is a big Star Trek fan and we said, “Yeah, sure.” The ball just started rolling and we stuck with Vulcans.

When you first hear the band’s name, it’s hard not to think about Star Trek.

It’s kind of a misdirect sometimes, because a lot of people think it’s going to be space rock, or something like that. We tried to work around it in different ways. We were originally “The Vulcans,” but there’s already a band with that name. They’re an older group from the ‘70s from like England. They have songs about Star Trek and they’re kind of reggae/jam rock. I think you can find them on Spotify. They’re not bad. They’re just completely different from us.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

I’m a big Bob Dylan fan. I know Tallest Man on Earth is a big influence on us. Lord Huron is a big influence on us; they’re also playing Firefly this year. We all play instruments. We all sing. And we do some foot percussion. So I think we took some influence from The Avett Brothers.